


Taste of Hunger

by ILikeCookiesLoads



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 10:42:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2345483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILikeCookiesLoads/pseuds/ILikeCookiesLoads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack was hungry, always hungry, he wanted to eat yet refused the food that was offered to him out of fear of being seen as greedy. A fear that the guardians quickly prove to be untrue as soon as they find out what's wrong. </p>
<p>Basically some family angst basing around the idea that Jack, like any child left alone, would not know how to take proper care of himself and fails to eat properly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taste of Hunger

It was that time once again that Jack found himself sitting in a way too big armchair with all the other guardians nearby, the fire on a low heat so he wouldn’t have to move away and North talking happily about how there was no sign of Pitch and everything was going well.

But Jack had no intention of listening to the conversation, his mind was completely focused on the cookies, fruit cake and hot chocolate all neatly laid out on the table in front of the chairs, North was a good host and always had plenty of food to offer the guardians during the meetings. Although Jack had always brushed of the offers saying how he was no hungry, that was not completely true. He was starving.

Jack rarely ate, he would, every once in a while, pick up some snack dropped on the floor, or pick some wild berries. But overall he found eating only made his hunger worse. Jack knew that if he ate regularly like a normal person, he would be much healthier, his stomach would stop hurting, the dizziness that suddenly caught him of guard while flying sometimes would go away, he’d have way less accidents... but something stopped him. 

Perhaps it was just that he couldn’t be bothered, it would take time to track down food that was in a good enough state to eat without actually stealing any. But then why was it he refused any of the food North offered him? He frowned as his tummy complained and he held back from cuddling his legs close as pain filled it. He wanted so badly to snatch the cookies and eat them, then why didn’t he? And then he figured it out! If he grabbed one cookie, it would certainly be followed by another and then another, and if he did that... well the guardians would see Jack as some greedy little child. 

Jack shook his head, no, he wouldn’t eat in front of the guardians, he didn’t want them to think of him as greedy. Jack was happy now, North was nice to Jack, always offering him food. Tooth would always smile and check his teeth. Sandy was even more careful then before about making sure he had nice dreams and even Bunny no longer hated him. He didn’t particularly like Jack, but he wasn’t mean either, and he definitely had some respect for Jack.

Jack smiled, for once in his life, there were people around him that both knew he existed and paid him at least some attention, it had taken Jack forever to make it here and he wouldn’t let something as simple as hunger ruin it for him. No, food was a human necessity, Jack had died long ago and with it his need for it. 

Jack remained like this for months, he never accepted food at the guardians meetings. But it was becoming harder, Jack found that being a guardian was hard, having to protect both his season and the children meant double the work. He would spend almost all his free time either playing with Jamie or sleeping, the only time he would eat was when he just so happened to find something convenient, like an apple tree in a forest on his way to some place or a half empty packed of crisps flying though the air. 

At first the guardians believed the slight loss of weight was normal for Jack and he was just busy but would put it back on later, but the closer they got the Christmas and the busier Jack got, the more noticeable it became and soon there was no way of ignoring it. 

It was the last meeting before Christmas and Jack was late, probably lost track of time as he often did when in a different time zone, but none of the guardians cared, in fact they were relieved to have the extra time to discuss the one thing that had been on all of there minds recently.

“It isn’t healthy, I’m telling ya mate, he’s gone and lost at least half of his previous weight!”

“I don’t think it’s that exaggerated,” Tooth whispered, “but I agree, we have to do something, maybe his ill?”

Bunny snickered, “don’t think so, we’d have noticed, I’m sure, I say the kids doing it on purpose, loads of children suffer from it now, some fashion thing, most stupid thing ever seen, I say we force feed him!”

“Bunny!” Tooth glared at him, “don’t talk about does stuff so lightly, it is very serious... you don’t really think... Jack...?”

“No,” North frowned, “Jack isn’t like that, he couldn’t care less for that kinda thing... I do not know what it is but is not that.”

Sandy looked thoughtful before making a picture of a cookie with his sand then a cross. North looked thoughtful as he tried to figure out the meaning of the message but Tooth beat him to it. 

“Good thinking Sandy! Maybe Jack doesn’t like cookies and sweets so if we get different food in he’ll eat.”

“Still doesn’t explain why he ain’t eating outside the meetings but suppose it’s worth a try.” 

North quickly ordered the yetis to bring up a feast into the living room where they held the meetings. When Jack finally arrived the room smelled lovely, filled with every kind of food, vegetables, fruit, roasted meet, sweets... it really was a feast and so very tempting, but he quickly shook his head before spotting the guardians and flying into his usual seat. 

“Sorry I’m late... did I miss anything?” he asked looking at the food.

“Ah, Jack, yes, we are having feast to celebrate it nearing Christmas, it being so important of course!”

Bunny rolled his eyes but nodded, “yeah, so, Jack, what do you want to eat?”

Jack frowned, “oh... I’ve already eaten today...” he whispered.

“I’m sure you can eat something more, the yetis would love to hear you’re opinion on food,” North said with his usual smile.

Jack frowned, “y-yeah... I guess, sure, just a little bit. Can I just have some fruit?” he asked.

“Have everything you like Jack!” North said, laughing.

Jack smiled, hesitantly grabbing an apple from a nearby table, he looked at it a moment and was a bit frightened to see all the guardians staring at him, he wondered if they expected him to at greedy, taking a deep breath he took a big bite, “yummy,” he said with the best grin he could pull of. 

The guardians looked at each other but decided to ignore, they began the meeting as normal and Jack ate the apple slowly at first but found he was eating quicker each bite, when he finished he helped himself to another apple, still eating faster. 

The guardians, far too happy to see Jack eat did not realize what was coming, Jack who had not eaten so much at once perhaps since he was reborn from the lake never though that the pain he was feeling was perhaps because he should stop eating, he had always felt pain telling him to eat and when he was suddenly sick all over himself and the armchair he didn’t know what to do or even what had happened.

Tooth gasped being the first to fly to his side, Jack looked shocked and when he saw what he had done, tears filled his eyes, he looked up to see all the guardians looking at him and suddenly he began to sob helplessly, “sorry... sorry...” he whispered as he tried to wipe the armchair clean with his sleeve. 

Seeing Jack so miserable quickly knocked North out of his shocked and he ran to Jack’s side, carefully he picked Jack up who began to sob harder, expecting North to throw him out, Jack reached out for his staff and Bunny quickly picked it up and followed after North. 

Jack was taken down several halls and finally into a room with a few beds with white sheets and many cupboards filled with all sorts of bottles. Tooth flew on ahead and opened the window and Jack clang onto North’s coat with a tight grip expecting to be thrown out the window and into he snow. North carefully rubbed Jack’s back as he put him down on on of the beds.

“There you go, let go Jack, you’re okay.”

Jack opened his eyes and let go when he saw he wasn’t being thrown out the window, tears still falling down his eyes he looked up at the guardians, “where am I?”

“In the infirmary,” Tooth said softly, Sandy forming a cross above his head with his sand. 

“What’s that?” Jack whispered, his voice shaking and soft.

“You know, where you get healed when you’re injured or sick, you must know that?” Bunny crossed his arms.

“Yeah... I know that, I just... why am I here?”

“Well first of all your as skinny as a stick and the one time we see you eat you quickly end up being sick, something must be wrong with you.”

North frowned at Bunny, “we’re going to help you feel better, okay Jack?”

“Better? But I’m okay!”

“Sh,” North carefully calmed Jack down, “listen Jack, it’s not normal for you to be sick when eating... do you know why that is? I mean, why you’re sick?”

“I ate too much... I’m sorry.”

Tooth frowned, “you barely ate anything... Jack... how much do you usually eat?”

Jack shook his head, “I-I... I’m not very good... at eating... I just....”

“Spit it out already Frostbite,” Bunny frowned.

“Bunny!” Tooth looked about ready to throw Bunny out the window but Jack ignored Tooth.

“Sorry, I’m just lazy I guess, finding food is hard work and I... just don’t bother sometimes, especially now that I have the children to protect.”

“Jack... food’s important! You need to eat at least three meals a day or you’ll get hungry and then ill.”

“I know... I’m sorry but... sometimes if I eat a lot it makes me ill too, so I have to be super careful what I eat but when I spend even more time looking and then I get sleepy...” he sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“Eating too much shouldn’t make you ill Jack, what do you eat? And when? How much?”

Jack frowned at all the questions Tooth was throwing at him, “I’ll eat whatever I can find and whenever I find it and however much I find too...”

“Find?”

“I don’t steal it!” Jack assured North, “I usually eat wild fruits or sometimes food that people throw away, nobody wants it so it isn’t stealing right?”

“You can’t live of other peoples rubbish Jack!” Bunny shouted. 

“W-why not?” Jack whispered, eyes fill with fear.

“It’s unhealthy Jack!” Bunny shouted but he quickly stopped shouting as he saw Jack’s expression, instead he knelt down at the end of Jack’s bed, “Jack... if you didn’t have a way to get food why didn’t you come to us?”

Jack looked down at his knee, “I though you would think I’m greedy.”

Sand quickly formed a cross above his head, Tooth flew forwards to cuddle Jack, “of course not! You’re definitely not greedy Jack, why would we think that?”

“I-I... I don’t know... I guess... I just supposed you would.”

North frowned and sat on the side of the bed, “listen, Jack, you are not greedy and none of us think that of you...”

“I’m sorry...”

“Will you sto apologizing already ya gumby,” Bunny said sitting down on the other side of the bed, “now listen up, we won’t be having you starving like that again, we’re going to be keeping a close eye on you from now on, is that understood?”

Jack nodded.

“Good, now rest, we will get food ready for when you awaken, and once you are better we will figure out some schedule to make sure you eat at least once a day from now on, okay?”

Jack smiled up at them appreciatively, “yeah, thanks,” tears filled his eyes, “you guys are the best!”

Tooth smiled and kissed his forehead, “what is family for?”

Jack’s eyes glowed with wonder and hope at that single word, “family,” he repeated as he was tucked into the bed and fell into peaceful dreamed filled sleep.


End file.
